Adventures in Art

I partnered with Ashley Lila King to design a gallery visit to the ICA and an art making workshop with two classes from the Hall School. We took first and second graders into the exhibit, Anguish, to play a gallery game that used art vocabulary as an entry into discussion about the artwork and how to relate the exhibition to the art making in the workshop. While we observed the exhibition, Anguish, we considered the cathartic use of material within the work and decided to focus on the healing process of making, and more specifically, the healing process of collaboration. We believe that working with others can help us bring our personal shadows into the light, and transform them into color.

Our vision for the art making process involved the expression of feeling through gesture, and the exploration of shadow, light, and color. We encouraged the students to approach this exploration collaboratively. They worked in groups to explore shadow and composed layers of color and pattern together in object projection and shadow tracing stations.

Shadow Play

Students looked through feeling cards to chose a feeling to act out. A partner then traced their shadow on a large sheet of paper. The students then filled out their own shadows with patterns, layering with other students shapes to create a dynamic collaborative work.

Cast Shadow

Students traced shadows cast by objects. They filled in the casted shapes with patterns using crayon. This was done collaboratively with two students working together on one sheet of paper, allowing for the shadow shapes to layer.

Object Projection

Students used an overhead projector to trace shadows of objects and drawings onto a large sheet of paper. These shapes were traced and painted to create a colorful, layered composition.